St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church

THE CHALLENGE

A growing parish family in an active and diverse community, St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church found itself outpacing the very space designed to support it. Serving more than 3,500 households with over 80 ministries, a thriving parish school and hundreds of sacraments celebrated each year, St. Jude leadership acknowledged a growing challenge: limited space. Ministries struggled to find meeting areas, events were difficult to schedule and the existing campus, while architecturally significant and once ahead of its time, began to show the effects of age. As participation continued to rise, it became clear that the parish needed to expand and renew its facilities to fully support its mission of worship, education and service for the future.

THE VISION

Inviting parishioners to come together, St. Jude leadership created a list of priorities that would need to be addressed. This vision included:

• Constructing a new parish life center.
• Creating a columbarium to provide a sacred resting place within the parish campus.
• Renovating the church to improve hospitality, accessibility and liturgical space.
• Expanding classrooms, meeting areas and ministry storage to support continued growth.
• Upgrading campus infrastructure, including HVAC, lighting and circulation.

THE SOLUTION

St. Jude partnered with the Steier Group to lead a comprehensive campaign designed to engage its large and diverse parish community. Through the hands-on approach of a dedicated campaign manager, strategic planning, clear communication and broad-based participation, the campaign emphasized that every parishioner had a role to play in shaping the future of their spiritual home. The effort was rooted not simply in projects, but in mission, ensuring that the parish could continue to welcome, form and serve all who come through its doors. The Renewing Our Spiritual Home Capital Campaign laid the foundation for a multi-phase master plan that prioritized both immediate needs and long-term growth. Through this unified effort, the St. Jude community raised $19 million, successfully exceeding the Steier Group low-end goal and positioning the community to expand its impact, strengthen its ministries and remain a vibrant, life-giving parish for generations to come.